Agricultural Productivity Growth Research Articles

Informality, Food Insecurity and Intra-Household Resource Allocation: Evidence from Pakistan

The significance of employment in alleviating household poverty and enhancing overall well-being is widely acknowledged. In Pakistan, even with the notable growth in agricultural production, the country struggles with significant levels of food insecurity, affecting approximately 20.3 percent of the population, as indicated by a 2019 global report. This research investigates the impact of informal employment on the Food Insecurity Experience Scale (FIES) and the distribution of resources within households, including categories such as food, non-food items, education, and health. Utilizing data from the Household Integrated Economic Survey (HIES) conducted in 2018-19, fractional response and ordered logit models were employed to analyze the influence of informal employment on resource allocation across various categories and household food insecurity. The findings indicated that households headed by individuals in informal employment typically allocate a more significant portion of their budget to food and health than those in formal employment. Moreover, the impact of informal employment on non-food expenses appears limited, and households with informal workers demonstrate reduced spending on education compared to their formal counterparts. Additionally, the study highlights a higher probability of severe or moderate food insecurity levels in households headed by individuals in informal employment. Comprehending employment and household welfare dynamics necessitates a thorough understanding of intra-household dynamics. This research contributes valuable insights for policymakers, aiding in identifying critical areas for expanding social protection measures for informal workers.

Estimation of contribution of production factors to an agricultural output change in emerging and developing Europe

Countries of Emerging and Developing Europe (EDE) significantly transformed their agri-food sector in the last decades, and it has specific implications for agricultural tendencies and the economy of these countries. This research focuses on the sources of growth of agricultural production in countries belonging to EDE, as the former communist countries classified by the International Monetary Fund. This group of countries is particularly interesting because there is room for further growth in agricultural production, which can be crucial in times of crisis. This article's main objective is to estimate agriculture's production function and analyze the relationship between agricultural output and used inputs. Based on data for the period 2008 to 2019, results showed that the increase in the use of mineral fertilizers is a key source of production growth among production factors. Due to the economic importance of fertilizer use and its environmental effect, it can be concluded that agricultural policy must be created carefully in these countries to achieve a balance between economic, social, and environmental goals.

The spatiotemporal pattern of surface ozone and its impact on agricultural productivity in China.

The slowing of agricultural productivity growth globally over the past two decades has brought a new urgency to detect its drivers and potential solutions. We show that air pollution, particularly surface ozone (O3), is strongly associated with declining agricultural total factor productivity (TFP) in China. We employ machine learning algorithms to generate estimates of high-resolution surface O3 concentrations from 2002 to 2019. Results indicate that China's O3 pollution has intensified over this 18-year period. We coupled these O3 estimates with a statistical model to show that rising O3 pollution during nonwinter seasons has reduced agricultural TFP by 18% over the 2002-2015 period. Agricultural TFP is projected to increase by 60% if surface O3 concentrations were reduced to meet the WHO air quality standards. This productivity gain has the potential to counter expected productivity losses from 2°C warming.

A Comprehensive Analysis of Challenges and Opportunities in Maharashtra's Private Sugar Industry

One of the most important states in India in terms of agricultural production and industrial growth, Maharashtra is also one of the most important states in terms of the sugar industry in India. It is possible to say that the private sugar industry in Maharashtra has a long and varied history, one that is characterised by a combination of old methods and contemporary innovations. The sugar industry in Maharashtra is an essential part of the rural economy of the state and has far-reaching repercussions for the farming industry on a national scale. It is also a substantial contributor to the total amount of sugar that is produced in India. This study lays the groundwork for a more in-depth examination of the potential and difficulties that characterise the private sugar business in Maharashtra during the subsequent sections. In the following sections, we will delve into the various elements that influence the sector. We will investigate how the industry navigates the complexity of the market, the dynamics of policy, and the improvements in technology in order to ensure that it maintains its position as a significant participant in India's economic landscape. The private sugar industry in Maharashtra is distinguished by the presence of a large number of sugar mills, each of which makes a contribution to the continued socioeconomic development of the region. The sector has faced numerous challenges in recent years, such as unpredictable sugar prices, weather-dependent agriculture, shifting government policies, and the need for technological developments. Despite these challenges, the sugar industry in Maharashtra offers a landscape ripe with opportunities for growth and change.

Sustainable Development of the Agro-Industrial Complex as a Factor of Food Security of the Country

Ensuring food security is one of the main tasks of the state, the quality of life of citizens directly depends on it. The article provides a literary review of publications and works of scientists and economists dealing with the problems of sustainable development of the agro-industrial complex (AIC) as a factor in ensuring food security. Based on the conducted research, mechanisms for strengthening the stability of the agro-industrial complex are proposed. The primary role in solving food security issues should be solved mainly on the basis of economic methods focused on the sustainable development of agro-industrial enterprises and rural areas, technological and agricultural production growth affect the economic efficiency of the industry, the main purpose of which is import substitution. The country's food security should be based on solving the problem of sustainable development of the agro-industrial complex and the economic efficiency of the farming and industrial parks. It is also necessary to monitor food security to prevent negative socio-economic phenomena, which ultimately entails the introduction of specific criteria and assessment methods. Competent and economically sound tools will help to increase the production of essential agricultural products. The authors propose to further study the problems of sustainable development of agriculture and food security in terms of learning international experience in solving problems, issues of development of own production, development of the agricultural sector of the economy and others.

Electrochemical Recovery of Phosphorus from Simulated and Real Wastewater: Effect of Investigational Conditions on the Process Efficiency

The development of recovery processes has become essential in recent years as a strategy to minimize environmental pollution while boosting circular economy and sustainable development. Due to the exponential growth in agricultural production and the increased pollution of waterbodies, the production of fertilizers from recovered phosphorus has become an alternative to phosphate rock-based production. In this work, the effect of different operational parameters in the efficiency of the electrochemical recovery of phosphorus, from organic and inorganic sources, was investigated. Among the studied variables, the most significant was the electrode material utilized in the system. The use of magnesium sacrificial electrodes, as AZ31 alloys, led to phosphorus removal from solution of above 90%, allowing the recovery of both orthophosphates and organic phosphorus (glyphosate) as struvite, brucite, and other amorphous compounds. Since there is a lack in the literature about the use of magnesium electrodes in real wastewater electrochemical treatment, system efficiency was also evaluated using a sanitary landfill leachate, reaching 96% of phosphorus recovery. The specific energy consumption and faradaic efficiency of the phosphorus recovery process were also assessed.

Mining and agriculture in municipalities with mineral-based economy in Brazil

Agriculture is an important investment alternative for productive diversification and food security in municipalities with mineral-based economies. Agricultural activities can benefit from improvements in infrastructure and availability of resources generated from the mineral industry, adopting technological innovations in production systems and expanding market opportunities. Given this context, the objective of the article was to identify whether the main mining municipalities in the states of Pará and Minas Gerais, the largest ore producers in Brazil, are exhibiting growth in agricultural production and production systems of higher technological level. Factor analysis was used to estimate the Index of Agricultural Modernization (IMA) and a log-linear regression model to estimate production growth rates. Although these municipalities receive a high amount of the Financial Compensation for Exploitation of Mineral Resources (CFEM), the activity has shown an incipient performance evidenced by low levels of modernization of agricultural production systems and low production growth rates, leaving clear signs of the occurrence of Dutch disease in these territories.

Inversed virtual water flow pattern and its influencing factors in Northwest China

Northwest China faces an imbalance between scarce water resources and increasing water use demands for agricultural production and economic growth. However, the shifts in virtual water flow (VWF) patterns in Northwest China and its the driving factors are still unclear. In this study, we employed the Multiregional Input–Output (MRIO) method to investigate the evolution of VWF patterns among Northwest China’s primary, secondary, and tertiary industries and analyze their driving factors through Stochastic Impacts by Regression on Population, Affluence, and Technology (STIRPAT) model. The results show that (1) Northwest China changed from 7.24 × 108 m3 net inflow to 175.70 × 108 m3 net outflow from 2002 to 2007. (2) More than 90 % of virtual water of the primary industry was used locally, but both secondary and tertiary industries depended more on virtual water inflow in Northwest China. (3) The virtual water outflow from Northwest China is mostly to the Jing-Jin Region, followed by the Northern Coast, and the main inflow is from the Central Region. (4) Population, economy, and technology affect virtual water from inflow to outflow, and technological development helps to decrease virtual water flow volumes. In conclusion, dramatic decrease of second and third industries inflow is the main reason for the changes from net inflow to net outflow of Northwest China. Meanwhile, it is feasible to increase technological support to further reducing virtual water consumption in primary industry, and strengthen virtual water trades of secondary and tertiary industrial virtual water inflows by promoting population and economic conditions.

A Comprehensive Procedure of Spatial Panel Modelling with R: A study of Agricultural Productivity Growth of the 38 East Java's Regencies/Municipalities

A Comprehensive Procedure of Spatial Panel Modelling with R: A study of Agricultural Productivity Growth of the 38 East Java's Regencies/Municipalities

High red/far-red ratio promotes root colonization of Serratia plymuthica A21-4 in tomato by root exudates-stimulated chemotaxis and biofilm formation

Effective colonization on plant roots is a prerequisite for plant growth promoting rhizobacterias (PGPR) to exert beneficial activities. Light is essential for plant growth, development and stress response. However, how light modulates root colonization of PGPR remains unclear. Here, we found that high red/far red (R/FR) light promoted and low R/FR light inhibited the colonization and growth enhancement of Serratia plymuthica A21-4 (S. plymuthica A21-4) on tomato, respectively. Non-targeted metabolomic analysis of root exudates collected from different R/FR ratio treated tomato seedlings with or without S. plymuthica A21-4 inoculation by UPLC-MS/MS showed that 64 primary metabolites in high R/FR light-grown plants significantly increased compared with those determined for low R/FR light-grown plants. Among them, 7 amino acids, 1 organic acid and 1 sugar obviously induced the chemotaxis and biofilm formation of S. plymuthica A21-4 compared to the control. Furthermore, exogenous addition of five artificial root exudate compontents (leucine, methionine, glutamine, 6-aminocaproic acid and melezitose) regained and further increased the colonization ability and growth promoting ability of S. plymuthica A21-4 on tomato under low R/FR light and high R/FR light, respectively, indicating their involvement in high R/FR light-regulated the interaction of tomato root and S. plymuthica A21-4. Taken together, our results, for the first time, clearly demonstrate that high R/FR light-induced root exudates play a key role in chemotaxis, biofilm formation and root colonization of S. plymuthica A21-4. This study can help promote the combined application of light supplementation and PGPR to facilitate crop growth and health in green agricultural production.

Предпринимательство в российском аграрном секторе

The article is devoted to the formation of entrepreneurial layers on the example of heads of farms and entrepreneurs of informal sector structures in the agricultural labor market, based on Rosstat panel studies on employment of rural residents and their households for 2011-2022 and data from agricultural censuses of 2006-2021. The factors of their formation and stability (crystallization) are considered in the conditions of severe institutional pressure of 30-year agrarian reforms, the criteria of which are an increase in ownership of agricultural land, the growth of agricultural production and its export to world markets. These indicators demonstrated the entrepreneurial potential based on authority as a characteristic of subjects with a high level of social capital, possessing, in addition to skills and competencies, the social connections necessary to transform into material and financial income within the existing economic conditions and institutional requirements. The analysis showed that farmers and entrepreneurs as entrepreneurial strata differ in resource potential, values, implemented social, labor practices and integration into a new innovative economy. Results of the analysis of socio-structural processes in the Russian countryside showed a socio-economic and institutional environment that affects the development of farms, business structures and the state of the agricultural labor market, where the movement of labor and the level of employment in the formal and informal sectors by agriculture, income, the socio-economic situation of households was revealed. The indicators of sectoral employment in the labor market demonstrate the historical moment of the rural world, when traditional forms of management are leaving, the familiar contours of the social structure of the village disappear and new social strata arise that construct the modern reality of rural areas.

Transcriptome Analysis Reveals the Molecular Mechanism and Responsive Genes of Waterlogging Stress in Actinidia deliciosa Planch Kiwifruit Plants

Waterlogging stress is one of the major natural issues resulting in stunted growth and loss of agricultural productivity. Cultivated kiwifruits are popular for their rich vitamin C content and unique flavor among consumers, while commonly sensitive to waterlogging stress. The wild kiwifruit plants are usually obliged to survive in harsh environments. Here, we carried out a transcriptome analysis by high-throughput RNA sequencing using the root tissues of Actinidia deliciosa (a wild resource with stress-tolerant phenotype) after waterlogging for 0 d, 3 d, and 7 d. Based on the RNA sequencing data, a high number of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified in roots under waterlogging treatment, which were significantly enriched into four biological processes, including stress response, metabolic processes, molecular transport, and mitotic organization, by gene ontology (GO) simplify enrichment analysis. Among these DEGs, the hypoxia-related genes AdADH1 and AdADH2 were correlated well with the contents of acetaldehyde and ethanol, and three transcription factors Acc26216, Acc08443, and Acc16908 were highly correlated with both AdADH1/2 genes and contents of acetaldehyde and ethanol. In addition, we found that there might be an evident difference among the promoter sequences of ADH genes from A. deliciosa and A. chinensis. Taken together, our results provide additional information on the waterlogging response in wild kiwifruit plants.

Agricultural Bio-Inputs as an Innovative Area of Opportunity for Agro-Industrial Growth in Developing Countries: Lessons from Argentina

Technology-based innovations in the bio-economy are expected to provide new market opportunities for agro-industrial growth in developing countries. This study explores how domestic entrepreneurs have been benefiting from the growing global demand for sustainable agribusiness by establishing themselves in the agricultural bio-inputs sector. Aiming to explore how developing countries can build agro-industrial capabilities that go beyond farming, a case study was conducted in Argentina giving the country’s large domestic market for agricultural inputs. The assessment was based on official data and a survey conducted with a sample of 14 Argentinean companies. Results revealed a growing number of domestic companies in the bio-inputs market, which accounted for 74% of the total number of companies by 2022. Contextual aspects that favored domestic players include private investments by local entrepreneurs, the use of locally available technologies, support from public innovation centers and assertive market strategies. Principal component analysis revealed different business models, which include companies focusing on the development of new products, companies with professional industrial plants for large-scale production and companies with a strong marketing component reaching out to farmers. The global growth of sustainable bio-based agricultural production offers areas of opportunities for domestic investments in cleaner agro-industrial sectors that go beyond the primary production of commodities and can build industrial capabilities in developing countries.

Challenges or drivers? Threshold effects of environmental regulation on China’s agricultural green productivity

This study investigates the effect of environmental regulation (ER) on the growth of Chinese agricultural Green Total Factor Productivity (GTFP). Threshold model results suggest an inverted-U shaped interconnection between command-control ER and growth of agricultural GTFP, a decreasing positive marginal effect of voluntary ER, and an absence of influence of incentive-based ER. Regional heterogeneity test indicates that command-control ER affects agricultural GTFP growth in a far more favorable way in less developed provinces than in more developed provinces, and only the former can benefit from the synergistic effect between command-control and voluntary ER. Mediating effect test results reveal that agricultural green innovation and grain crop proportion are channels through which ER affect agricultural GTFP growth, highlighting the pressing need to stimulate green innovation and realize green transformation of grain production.

Exploring the effects of energy consumption on millets and rice yields in Odisha, India

Energy is a crucial input in determining the agricultural growth of an economy. Thus, this study aims to investigate the impact of energy consumption (EC) on agricultural productivity growth (APG), specifically in relation to rice and millet yields in Odisha, India. The study uses data from the period spanning 1990–91 to 2019–20. The study uses an autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) bound F-test to examine for a cointegration relationship amid the variables, and an ARDL regression framework to investigate the effect of EC on the yields of rice and millets in Odisha. The results advocate that there exists a long-run equilibrium relationship amid the variables in the study. Regarding the result for long- and short-run elasticities, it is evidenced that EC has a positive and statistically significant effect on rice yield and has no statistically significant impact on millet yield in the long-run. However, in the short-run, EC has a positive and statistically significant effect on both rice and millet yields. According to the findings of the current study, the state government of Odisha should place a greater emphasis on ensuring that farmers have access to power in order to encourage agricultural expansion and improve crop yields.

IRRIGATION SYSTEM REFORM IN GEORGIA: A BRIEF LEGAL AND ECONOMIC ANALYSIS

Effective irrigation and drainage systems have always been the most significant components of the sustainable development of Georgian agriculture. Almost half a million hectares of agricultural land is irrigated by irrigation systems in Georgia. The increase of reclamation areas is the basis for the growth of agricultural products, which, in turn, is a prerequisite for Georgia's position restoration as an exporting country. Taking into account that one of the main tasks of the country is the rehabilitation, modernization, raising of the technical level, and the technological and organizational perfection of its effective functioning in order to increase the fertility and yield of the soil, the development of the law of Georgia on water user organizations is on the agenda. That is the first attempt to legally regulate the land artificial irrigation issues, which will contribute to overcoming the three main challenges in the irrigation system: (1) perfect operation of the irrigation system and supply of irrigation water to users; (2) maintaining systems in good condition and (3) increasing revenues to carry out the above two activities. The paper highlights the challenges of the reclamation system of Georgia. The possibilities of implementing a new model of irrigation system management are analyzed. The legal and economic aspects of the ongoing reforms in the irrigation sector are discussed. Establishing an affordable, reliable, stable irrigation system in Georgia will help strengthen the agro-sector and the country's economy as a whole.

Seed Germination and Seedling Growth in Suaeda salsa (Linn.) Pall. (Amaranthaceae) Demonstrate Varying Salinity Tolerance among Different Provenances.

Salinity is a pressing and widespread abiotic stress, adversely affecting agriculture productivity and plant growth worldwide. Seed germination is the most critical stage to seedling growth and establishing plant species in harsh environments, including saline stress. However, seed germination characteristics and stress tolerance may vary among geographical locations, such as various provenances. Suaeda salsa (Linn.) Pall. (S. salsa) is a halophytic plant that exhibits high salt tolerance and is often considered a pioneer species for the restoration of grasslands. Understanding the germination characteristics and stress tolerance of the species could be helpful in the vegetation restoration of saline-alkali land. In this study, we collected S. salsa seeds from seven different saline-alkali habitats (S1-S7) in the Songnen Plain region to assess the germination and seedling growth responses to NaCl, Na2CO3, and NaHCO3, and to observe the recovery of seed germination after relieving the salt stress. We observed significant differences in germination and seedling growth under three salt stresses and among seven provenances. Resistance to Na2CO3 and NaHCO3 stress was considerably higher during seedling growth than seed germination, while the opposite responses were observed for NaCl resistance. Seeds from S1 and S7 showed the highest tolerance to all three salt stress treatments, while S6 exhibited the lowest tolerance. Seeds from S2 exhibited low germination under control conditions, while low NaCl concentration and pretreatment improved germination. Ungerminated seeds under high salt concentrations germinated after relieving the salt stress. Germination of ungerminated seeds after the abatement of salt stress is an important adaptation strategy for black S. salsa seeds. While seeds from most provenances regerminated under NaCl, under Na2CO3 and NaHCO3, only seeds from S4 and S7 regerminated. These findings highlight the importance of soil salinity in the maternal environment for successful seed germination and seedling growth under various salinity-alkali stresses. Therefore, seed sources and provenance should be considered for vegetation restoration.

Agriculture–Tourism Integration’s Impact on Agricultural Green Productivity in China

Currently, the integrated development of agriculture and tourism is one of the most critical strategic measures in China. The rapid growth of agricultural tourism integration presents the typical characteristics of expanding regional differences. Exploring the impact of agricultural tourism integration on the growth of green total factor productivity in agriculture has important theoretical and practical significance. This study constructs a comprehensive index system for agricultural tourism integration, measuring the development level of agricultural tourism integration in 30 sample provinces from 2008 to 2018. Using the generalized system method of moments approach and Tobit model, the impact of agricultural tourism integration on agriculture was empirically tested, and the regulatory role of rural human capital was discussed. It was found that agricultural tourism integration contributes significantly to the improvement in green total factor productivity in agriculture, with rural mobility human capital, education human capital, and health human capital all playing a significant positive moderating role in this process. Finally, it is recommended that priority be given to agricultural tourism integration in the policy framework, promoting industrial chain upgrading, raising investment in rural infrastructure, and upgrading rural human capital levels to contribute the rural economic development.

ANALYSIS OF ATTITUDES TOWARDS SOCIAL-ECONOMIC AND MARKETING FACTORS ON THE GROWTH OF ORGANIC PRODUCTION

The aim of this paper was to examine the differences in attitudes towards the influential economic, social and marketing factors on the growth of organic agricultural production. In addition to the above, the scientific goals of the work are to determine the persistence, nature of the connection and predictability of the above strategies for dealing with health problems. The subject of this research is the examination of the attitudes of the population of agricultural producers who own farms and students of the Faculty of Agriculture in Novi Sad according to the representation of influential sociological, economic and marketing factors on the growth of organic agricultural production. The instruments used in this research include a sociodemographic questionnaire constructed for the purposes of this research, methods of analysis, synthesis, induction and comparative methods. The results show that students have a moderately positive attitude towards the use of organic agricultural products, with income, employment and economic growth being significant predictors.

Agricultural productivity and structural transformation: evidence and questions for African development

ABSTRACT This paper summarizes key findings from the recent literature on agricultural productivity and structural transformation and then identifies priority areas for further research. The paper discusses the macro relevance of agricultural productivity for growth and structural transformation. New theory and data have underscored the importance of agricultural productivity as a proximate cause of low aggregate productivity in the world’s poorest countries, including many in sub-Saharan Africa. Evidence has also emerged on the importance of agricultural productivity growth as a driver of development and growth in the past. But micro evidence and changes in the global context suggest that today’s low-income countries may face a different set of challenges in the years ahead.